Our Verdict
Poor TV for a mixed usage. The LG LJ5500's shortcomings stack up well above its positives, and its below average picture quality greatly reduces its capabilities with every usage.
- WebOS is one of the best smart platforms available.
- Picture quality remains good at an angle.
- 1080p resolution
- Subpar picture quality
Not a good TV for watching movies in dark room. The LJ5500's blacks are shallow and very cloudy making them quite distracting, and its 1080p resolution means it cannot fully take advantage of modern content.
Average TV for watching cable or broadcast television. The LJ5500 gets bright enough for most rooms, and it handles reflections decently. Its WebOS smart features also make it easy to access content. Unfortunately, static content such as network logos are retained for a few minutes, and the overall picture quality is subpar.
The LJ5500 does a decent job with sports broadcasts. Its wide viewing angle means watching it from the sides won't affect the picture quality too much, and it handles fast motion quite well. Unfortunately, its uniformity could be better, and static on-screen content can sometimes be retained for a few minutes.
Passable TV for gaming. The LJ5500 has low motion blur, so fast motion doesn't have any distracting trails. Its input lag is also fairly low, which keeps games responsive and immersive. Unfortunately, the TV's poor overall picture quality reduces the quality of the experience.
The LJ5500 does not support HDR.
The LJ5500 does not support HDR.
Mediocre TV to use as a PC monitor. While it is capable of 4:4:4 chroma and has no major issues with viewing angles, its 1080p resolution is less than ideal for productivity and its input lag could be better. It also lacks niche features like a 120hz input.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 12, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Sep 11, 2017: Review published.
- Updated Sep 09, 2017: Early access published.
- Updated Sep 06, 2017: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 43" (43LJ5500). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 49" (49LJ5500) and 55" (55LJ5500).
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG LJ5500 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. The LG LJ5000 and LG LJ550M are very similar LED TVs but lack the WebOS smart features.
| Size | Model | BestBuy Model |
| 43" | 43LJ5500 | 43LJ550M |
| 49" | 49LJ5500 | 49LJ550M |
| 55" | 55LJ5500 | 55LJ550M |
Popular TV Comparisons
The LG LJ5500 isn't a very good TV, and at its price, there are better options available. If you're capable of stretching your budget a little bit, TVs that perform much better are also available. See our recommendations for the best budget TVs.
For those with bright rooms and wide seating arrangements, the LG LJ5500 is a better choice than the TCL S Series/S305 2018 due to its wide viewing angles and higher brightness. However, if you will be sitting right in front and enjoy watching movies in a dark room, then the TCL S305 is a better choice as it has better blacks due to the higher native contrast ratio and better black uniformity.
The TCL S Series/S405 4k 2018 is a much better TV than the LG LJ5500. The TCL has 4K resolution, better contrast, and better black uniformity, which is great if you watch movies in a dark room. The TCL also has better input lag and a faster response time that make it a better choice if you play games. On the other hand, the LG LJ5500 has an IPS panel and thus has better viewing angles.
The TCL 1 Series/D100 is a better choice if you have a dim room and will be sitting right in front. The D100 has a better contrast ratio and a better black uniformity, and thus blacks look deep, and the overall picture quality is improved. On the other hand, if you will be viewing the TV from the side, then the LG LJ5500 is a better choice due to the better viewing angles. The LG LJ5500 is a smart TV and runs LG's WebOS, whereas the TCL D100 has no smart features. To get access to smart features on the D100, you must connect it to an external device or a dongle.
The Samsung M5300 is better than the LG LJ5500. The Samsung M5300 has better reflection handling and a wider viewing angle, so it will better suit a wider variety of rooms. The M5300 also has an optional motion interpolation feature which the LJ5500 lacks. This optional feature can clear up motion but introduces some artifacts. The LG LJ5500 is better able to remove judder from 24p sources, which the M5300 can't do.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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